The Light That Came From The Darkness
by TheLonelyMan
Summary: A wandering hero seeks out the help of the Suicide Squad, a private band of mercenaries made up of some of the most infamous criminals ever to walk the Earth. But will they become his allies, or his enemies?
1. Diner Dash

The Old-Time Hole, New York. One of the lesser-known "historical" diners still operating in the area, it was a haven for anyone looking to escape the prying eyes and constant attention provided by the outside world. On any given day, people of all shapes, sizes, races, and occupations gathered within to pretend to be someone else, to carry on their private business without ever being noticed.

One such individual was Adam Tordelli. According to his business card, he was a private supplier of IT equipment and expertise. Few would have guessed that he also made a tidy sum each week processing stolen information for identity thieves.

That day, there were only a few other customers. Two were men in suits having breakfast together and making light chatter directly behind Tordelli's seat at the counter. Another was a large man in a tight hoodie dazing off in his booth. The diner was running on a skeleton crew: one bearded busboy was clearing some tables from earlier, and a waitress wearing way too much concealer and her blonde hair in two messy buns was retrieving coffee for the suited men. The other waitress on duty, a young woman who clearly forgot to shave her brows, asked Tordelli if he wanted a refill in an accent that appeared to be a strange cross between British and Midwestern.

"Sure. Oh, and you mind bringing my check?" Tordelli started packing his bags. He needed to drop off the stick holding the data if he expected to be paid.

Finishing his drink, he had just reached for his wallet when his head began to spin. Without thinking, he stumbled towards the exit.

The busboy, a knife under his sleeve, grabbed his arm. "Follow me unless ya want to die, boy."

He was escorted into the diner's storage locker, blindfolded, and chained to a pipe. Voices began chattering as he sat there, terrified.

"He's the one. I know it."

"You sure? Cause' to me, he looks like a damn nerd."

"Croc, Captain, go and check with Katana. We need a clean getaway."

A door was opened and closed. The voices resumed their conversation.

"I say we knock some into him. They always talk, trust me."

"Perhaps I could use my powers to compel him?"

"No, no, no. We don't need him to know who we are or why we're here. All we need is the flash drive he has."

At this, Tordelli perked up. "You want the drive? It's in my laptop case. Take it and just let me go, please! I won't go to the police, I swear!"

"Kid, if you don't shut up right now, you will die. Do you understand?"

Tordelli nodded.

He heard the sound of hands ruffling through his case. "Found it."

"Now then, we just need to clean up the scene. Quinn, take care of this-"

Overwhelmed by fear, Tordelli screamed his lungs out. "Help me!"

His cry ended as soon as it began, with a single shot to the head.

"You woulda done the same, Flag."

Just then, three people entered the room, wearing dark clothes. They passed out additional pairs, and then split up and wandered off into the city.

The rest soon followed, making sure no one was following them. A figure stood on the rooftop, watching the whole scene. He alone knew who they were and why they had killed Tordelli for the drive.

At last, he had found them. The only people who could help.


	2. Center of The Storm

Everyone knows how it starts. Boy gets powers, boy tries to control powers, boy stops gang of robbers/street mugging/kitten in tree, boy realizes that he's a hero and gives himself a new identity. That was how it was supposed to work. Not so much with the boy known as Maelstrom. He knew not where his powers had come from, nor how he'd come up with his name. Hell, he didn't even remember what his human name was. He was just...Maelstrom.

But that was why he'd sought them out. The Suicide Squad. Like him, they were outcasts who sought to do good, or whatever they thought "good" meant. Sure, they knew who they were, but he could think of no one else who would help him without trying to dissect him like a bloated frog.

Even now, he was unsure of how the Squad would react to him. His powers, which included electrical generation, control of the air, and some combination of the two, made him the second most powerful next to Enchantress. And God help him if he got on her bad side...

Now only one question remained: how he would introduce himself to the Squad. Perhaps a simple greeting would do. No, that would probably just end in a bullet to the face. He needed something to catch their attention.

Well, in that case, why not intercept them at their meeting point? Hopefully, he could think of something on the way.

There was nothing in the meeting square aside from a beggar or two, wrapped in long blankets. Suddenly, Maelstrom had an idea.

Using his powers, he lightly stunned one of these rag men, swiped his blanket, and took his place in the snow. Shortly afterwards, he heard footsteps approaching. A man in a coat and hat was walking alongside a small girl in a jacket. It looked no different from any other father and daughter stroll he'd ever seen.

But he knew better. A strange electrical aura surrounded the girl, giving him some slight discomfort. He had to act.

His moment soon came. The glow of his hands was met by the sight of a double-barreled turret strapped to the man's wrist and a shadow of wisps from the girl beside him, who was now decked out in the regalia of a 90's goth princess covered with what looked like the remnants of a mud bath.

The man stood his ground, his eyes pointed forward like daggers. "Who the hell are you, pal? You with that pussy from the diner?"

Discarding the blanket, Maelstrom rose up and began the introductions. "My name is Maelstrom, and I need your help. The person who gave me these abilities...I need to find them. I need them to tell me how to stabilize my physical form before it breaks down completely."

The girl turned to the man. "I've looked into his soul. He appears to be telling the truth."

"So can you help me? Cause' you might as well shoot if you don't."

"Alright then. Better confer with the rest of the crew first."


	3. The Wicked Old Witch Is

While Floyd Lawton a.k.a. Deadshot went to discuss the matter of helping Maelstrom with the rest of the Squad, the latter took Enchantress to a boutique on the outskirts of town. "Wait here."

Enchantress, or Dr. June Moone as she preferred in her human guise, decided to humor him. After a few brief seconds, he returned with one of the shop's mannequins in his arms. The mannequin was decked out in a green lady's coat, red scarf, and pointed witch's hat, which was somehow considered fashionable in this day and age.

"Would you explain why you've brought this to me?"

"Simple. Even a old witch like yourself needs some better camouflage than a stripper's costume. That, and I think this ensemble matches your eyes."

It was true that the Enchantress's eyes were now a permanent shade of gold as a result of the binding process that had merged her with the body and mind of the original June Moone. Yet she still retained Moone's memories and sense of style, and she did not quite agree with Maelstrom's assessment. Still, he had a point. Revealing her true form to mortals 24/7 was not always appropriate when the near-nakedness she had witnessed among the worshippers of old had been replaced with a culture of dress and appearance.

"Very well then. I thank you for these clothes."

"Your welcome. Now why don't we go find the others and see if they've come to a decision?"

The Squad, as it turned out, was divided over whether on not to offer their assistance to Maelstrom. Captain, Croc, and Quinn didn't believe him, even with Enchantress's blessing, and even Flag was unwilling to fully commit support to some stranger he'd never heard of. With only two members in his corner, Maelstrom began to wonder if he would be better off on his own.

Suddenly, the Enchantress disappeared and then reappeared in the outfit he had given her. When she returned, the others were shocked at her new look. Rather than use her powers of illusion to better resemble Moone, as was her usual approach, she had fixed up her black hair and removed the filth from her face and neck. Aside from her shining eyes, it was impossible to tell she was the same person.

"Hot DAMN!"

"You look...very pleasing, Miss Moone."

"Pointed hat's kind of a turn off, though, luv."

Enchantress basked in their approval like a model on the runway before addressing them in a rather sharp tone.

"We should help him."

With that, the matter was settled.


	4. Birth of a Clown

As the team made their long walk down towards the docks, where they would set out on this new-found adventure, something kept replaying in Harley's mind, like a tape recorder stuck on loop.

The Joker. Mr. J. The J-Man. The light in her life. Her rock. The only man, human... _creature_ she could ever love.

The last time he'd laid eyes upon her, he and his crew were trying to carry her to safety in their chopper. That is, until mean old Waller blew them out of the sky. Harley would have much rather joined her beloved in death, but instead she had fallen out of the wreckage just before it exploded. Since then, she had never been able to stop thinking about whether or not he might still be alive.

Suddenly, her thoughts turned back to that night. The night she became the Clown Princess of Crime.

The Joker, free from Arkham on account of her giving him the keys to the guard's gun lockers, had told her that as much as he loved her, there was just one pesky little thing he couldn't overlook.

"You see, sweetums, you're just too right in the head to join my family of loons. I can't have someone telling me that I should be _merciful_ and such."

"Please, Mr. J, I'll do anything for you. Just tell me what."

"Very well. Follow me, Harley."

He had taken her to Ace Chemicals, the place where he had been "conceived", as he called it, in a massive vat of acid. "If you want to be like me, you have to take a little bath, Miss Harley."

At first, she had been reluctant to make the plunge. But then she reminded herself of her promise. She would do anything he said.

In all fairness, she should have been dead the moment her limp body hit the acid. After all, why would the Joker care about someone like her?

But then she felt it. His hands underneath her, bringing her to the surface. When she emerged, her skin and hair were as white, red, and blue as his was chalk and green. Looking deep into the Joker's eyes, she knew she had made the right choice.

She was no longer Dr. Harleen Quinzell, always nervous, always longing for the love she couldn't find. Now she was Harley Quinn, the girl who would always stand by the Joker, helping him terrorize Gotham, and killing anyone she wanted, whenever she wanted. She was...free.

But without the Joker, she was incomplete. She no longer felt the same rush as she had with him.

She silently swore to herself that she would find him. She WOULD FIND HIM.


	5. Cat on Cat

Maelstrom could only remember one thing about his past life. At some point before he received his powers, he had worked in the lab of a scientist. A scientist by the name of Dr. T. O. Morrow. Dr. Morrow was mostly known for his expertise in robotics and mechanical sciences, but for a brief period of time he had also dabbled in genetics. It was during this time that he had hired Maelstrom to work as his chief assistant. Somehow, the young man had wound up agreeing to take part in some kind of experiment...

But that was all he could recall. He had no idea if Dr. Morrow was still alive or if he was even ultimately responsible for granting him his powers. All him knew was that confronting him was the best possible choice at this point.

With the Squad by his side, Maelstrom ventured out to a remote corner of the American Northeast, where Morrow's lab had once occupied a prime bit of land on the Atlantic coast. They found the location largely deserted, but Maelstrom still noticed that some of the lights were on in the main building.

"What should we do? I'd rather not set off any alarms or alert the police."

"Give me ten minutes. I'll find a way in, mate."

"We don't have that kind of time. We need to get in now."

"What about a tunnel? A secret entrance?"

"The only one I can think of is a small door that goes through the main entrance. But only the lab animals were supposed to use it."

"I may have an idea. Stand back."

The Enchantress's coat and hat flew over Deadshot's head as the sorceress whispered a spell to herself.

Dropping to all fours, her body began to shift. Her black hair turned to fur, a tail emerged, hands and feet became paws, and her elfish face transformed into that of a cat. The now feline-Enchantress meowed at the rest of the Squad.

"Oh, oh, can you show me how to do that, honey?"

"Now listen to me carefully. The main lab is just a few levels down. Try to avoid making any sort of noise. I mean, you are a cat, right? Cats don't make sound."

Before he could finish, the Enchantress had already slipped through the little door.


	6. A Curious Thing Happened

After a few hours, the group started to get inpatient. Where was Enchantress?

"Should we go in after her?"

"We need a plan. God knows what sort of traps or security devices the good Doctor might have left behind."

"I'll take the high ground. The rest of y'all head in and find that kitty-kat."

With Deadshot watching the perimeter, the rest of the Squad shorted-out the lock used to secure the door and filed in. They split up, with Maelstrom, as the most powerful, headed towards the main lab.

It was a spooky place, with the walls lined with tubes, cages, jars, computers, equipment, and charts detailing the various projects Dr. Morrow had worked on during his brief interest in biology and genetic manipulation. Thinking back, it all made sense, what with Morrow's obsession with transhumanism and "transforming the human body into something more, something grand." That's all he could remember, anyhow.

His eyes gradually began to shift over to a cage placed near the exit door. Unlike the others, there appeared to be something stored in it. _A flash of black..._

The realization dawned on Maelstrom and he dashed the lock. Inside, he found a single black cat with an odd-looking collar fixed around its neck.

"June, its me. Wake up."

The cat ignored him and started licking his face. It didn't make any sense. Then it dawned on Maelstrom that something on the collar was emitting a faint beeping noise.

Based entirely on a hunch, he took it off. What happened next was, well, quite interesting.

The cat suddenly gazed directly into his face, its eyes turning a brilliant shade of gold. Before he could adjust his grip, it started to grow in size. The fur and tail began to seemingly melt away, leaving behind bare skin. The forelegs thickened and formed into toes and ankles, falling over rather than up. The front paws that had brushed against him became a pair of hands whose very touch was so warm and soft that Maelstrom had to focus his mind point-blank to keep from fainting. And the cat's face, once small and nondescript, turned to the face of the Enchantress, the remaining fur left as a pair of thick eyebrows across her forehead.

Before Maelstrom could open his mouth, the Enchantress reached over and kissed him. Her tongue rolled through the full expanse of his mouth, his eyes barely rolling back as she sucked the moisture out, leaving a bare patch of flesh resembling that of a corpse seconds away from death. He could feel his soul leaving his flesh as she continued to feed from his spirit, the weakness turning his muscles to mush. All the while, she grew stronger, as the energy replenished her power. Finally, when she had taken her fill, she stood up and placed his head against hers, cradling him like a child until he recovered from the experience.


	7. Witches and Women

When the others found them, Maelstrom was still sound asleep, like the princess in a long-forgotten cartoon. The Enchantress stood over him, obvious to the fact that she was completely nude.

"You might need these, doll."

While the witch effortlessly slipped back into her green coat and boots, the Captain gave Maelstrom a good smacking. Instantly, he was awake.

All this caused a memory to flow back to Enchantress. Specifically, the day she assumed her current form.

For 6,000 years, she had been trapped, trapped within the confines of a tiny clay vessel. With no space to move, she was forced to spend all of her time in a gaseous form. At least it meant she was unaware of the passage of time. As the centuries rolled on, she resigned herself to the seeming reality that she would never walk the land again.

Until that woman opened the vessel. Suddenly, she felt the rush of air. _She was free!_

But there was only one problem. Without a body, she was helpless. _Unless._

Like a vision straight out of a horror movie, she stepped forth and kissed the woman. Turning to vapor, she entered her body. Darkness followed.

For the next few hours, the Enchantress tried to assert full control over what should have been her new vessel. First, she spent a great deal of time just moving her new arms and legs until they didn't feel like she was wearing a cloak made of human skin. Then she took off the woman's clothes and put on one of the ancient ceremonial costumes buried in her tomb. Finally, she called on every bit of power she possessed to restore herself to full strength. It was working...she began to feel like the almighty goddess of old...

And then it stopped. She was but a mere mortal, weak and powerless.

But why? Why could she not achieve what she had been planning for millennia? Could it be that this woman...was much more tenacious than thought?

Accessing the woman's mind, the Enchantress learned that she was Dr. June Moone, a "doctor" of "archeology" who considered her to be a "discovery". Dr. Moone, as it turned out, was quite fearful of the Enchantress and begged her for mercy. Only then did the latter realize what she needed to do.

"Mortal, if you help me, I will give you control of your body."

"I'll...I'll do whatever you ask. Just don't kill me."

Over time, their relationship had changed in interesting ways. At first, the doctor was terrified of Enchantress and followed her instructions without question, even if it meant cutting herself for a ritual or sleeping in bathtubs filled with the blood of slaughtered animals. Otherwise, she did her best to ignore the spectral entity living inside her. But over time, her fear was lessened by curiosity. She began asking the Enchantress questions about who she was and where she had come from. The Enchantress, bothered by such things, refused to answer them. Yet she could not ignore how easy it was living inside Dr. Moone. She no longer needed to expend her own energy to stay alive, and the doctor's status in society meant she could easily hide the twisted crimes she carried out on her behalf. Her knowledge of the modern world proved useful as well, though the Enchantress did develop a strong dislike for tea after being forced to taste it every time the doctor poured another cup down her throat.

One day, the Enchantress could wait no longer. "June, I would like to make a request of you."

"Yes, Enchantress?"

"I grow weary of my confinement between your flesh. It reminds me of the centuries I spent in isolation."

"What do you suggest then?"

"A merging of our spirits. This would allow me to enter your world as myself. Of course, I would only do so with your permission."

"Very well. How might this be done?"

"Tonight, you will strip yourself to your bare skin and mark yourself with the tattoos of worship. Surrounded by light, you will utter but one word: "Enchantress""

June did as she was asked. The sacred word was uttered: "Enchantress".

The next second, she could feel everything changing. Her brunette hair turned to a brilliant shade of black and fell down as a veil around her head. Patches of shade spread from the tattoos and covered her body. Her blue eyes were the color of gold bars.

Then she felt her mouth moving, speaking strange words. But this voice was not soft and sugary like hers. It was loud and booming, yet seductive and hypnotic.

With this, her transformation was complete. June Moone was now, and would forever be, the Enchantress.


	8. Previously

When the Enchantress formally joined the Suicide Squad, she had been "convinced" to accept two conditions: First, she had to wear a special necklace around her neck regardless of whether she or June was in control. The necklace itself had clearly been fashioned by an experienced practitioner, since it blocked the Enchantress from using more than a fraction of her full power. Second, she would have to remain in character as Dr. Moone unless there was some need for her to reveal herself. Otherwise, she would stay locked within her mortal shell.

Then, things changed. The Squad was betrayed, and June was left to die with her teammates. Perhaps that made it the best time for the Enchantress to propose something even more radical than a spirit shift; in short, she would physically merge with June's mind and body. This would permit June to use her magic without having to transform. But it would also mean that the Enchantress could take control without her consent at any time. Putting aside her reservations, June agreed to the plan.

Letting the power flow through her veins, June had put her acting skills to work crafting a terrifying nightmare for Amanda Waller, the one who had plotted to stab her in the back. When it was over, Waller was gone, having been absorbed into the all-consuming dark realm that the Enchantress hailed from. And June, having tasted just a small bit of sorcery, was hooked.

As the Squad went into private contracting, both June and the Enchantress had found they had a knack for such work. June taught herself how to conjure small illusions to disguise her skin, hair, and voice, while the Enchantress practiced using her spells to interrogate hard-lipped prisoners, remotely disable security systems, and shape-shift into the forms of humans and animals alike. Over the course of several months, the two helped destroy an entire pier's worth of illegal arms, break up an international hacking collective, take down a supposedly untouchable crime lord by tricking him into believing he was about to die of an incurable disease, and even pose as deceased model Carrie Linchton for five weeks while the others used her "survival" as leverage for money and supplies.

Yes, there had been many, many adventures. But something about this one was different. And it all started when June had entered the lab in the form of a black cat.

At first, things went well. Though it was difficult to adjust to the cat's unique eyes, she could see that the facility was not quite as abandoned as it appeared.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her. Without speaking, the strange occupant put a collar around her neck and tossed her in the nearest cage.

Normally, the Enchantress would have no problem using her powers to subdue the attacker. But then the collar started beeping. June could feel her human intelligence slipping away, replaced by the pure instinct of a normal cat. Before she could reverse the transformation, it was too late.

The next thing she remembered was Maelstrom removing the accursed collar. With her mind restored, June passed control to the Enchantress and let her feed on his soul for energy. Within seconds, he had fainted and she was holding him in her arms.

What a day.


End file.
